Food insecurities demand creativity, volunteerism to stem tide of families left hungry

Food insecurity is a reality that burdens thousands of families across the state of Wisconsin, especially those at or below the poverty line. In Winnebago County, this number constitutes 35% of the population and will only worsen as an issue as the harsh winter months roll in. Food pantries and charities in the area, as well as the Oshkosh Area School District, are well aware of the current threshold of food insecurity in Oshkosh and surrounding communities. 

The problem can result for reasons both economic and geographical, according to social studies teacher Alyson Niehans. 

“Food insecurity is when a person or family is unable to access the resources they need for getting food,” she said. “For example, they live too far away from a grocery store or a food pantry. The other part of food insecurity is not being able to afford resources. Being at or below the poverty line can also put someone at risk for food insecurity.”

According to Niehans, food insecurity is a prevalent issue within the student body and throughout Oshkosh as a whole. 

“There are 31% of students in our district who qualify for free or reduced lunch, and one of the ways that you qualify for free and reduced lunch is being at or around the poverty line,” she said. “It’s definitely an issue that affects a lot of students at our school, and generally our community at large.” 

This corresponds with a disturbing trend noticed by organizations such as the Salvation Army in Oshkosh, in regards to how many people rely on their resources. According to social worker Al Rolph, data displayed a strong increase in meals and households served in comparison to last year, as well as pounds of food distributed to the public. 

“The number of households we served through our food pantry in October of 2022 was 223,” Rolph said. “This October, it was 378. We also see that the pounds of food we distributed through our food pantry was 13,000 in 2022, and this October it was 17,000, almost 18,000 pounds.” 

At the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry on Jackson Street, similar spikes were noticed in regards to families served, pantry visits, and pounds of food allocated to customers. Ryan Rasmussen, the director of the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, saw a staggering 47% increase in pantry use since last year, and revealed that 31.5% of Winnebago County residents could be food insecure. He also revealed a contributing factor to the cause of the issue. 

“In April and May of 2023, there was a giant spike up, and that is where we’ve stayed for the past couple of months,” he said. “Why is this happening? This is at about the time when the federal government rolled back FoodShare benefits.”

During COVID, the federal government provided significant funding to FoodShare. This left many relying on FoodShare benefits high and dry when the sudden drop occurred, which led to many seeking the assistance of food banks and pantries across the country. Rasmussen provided an example that encapsulated the severity of the drop in funding. 

“Let’s say a senior who’s on a fixed income during COVID for the last three years was getting $250 in FoodShare benefits a month so they could use it to go grocery shopping,” he said. “The federal government could not continue to keep funding that program like that. That same senior right now, on a fixed income, who was getting $250 in FoodShare benefits, is now getting $20. That drastically impacts where they can spend money.”

Not only did the government draw back funding for FoodShare in early 2023, but did so in a time when record inflation was causing prices on necessities to soar nationwide. 

“We live in a time when inflation is really bad, so generally food prices are higher than they have been historically, so for someone already struggling with food insecurity, it becomes more expensive for them when they are at the grocery store to buy the essentials that they need,” Niehans said.

Individuals are struggling with this and so are the larger institutions in the community. Due to less funding, finding ways for school administration to accumulate adequate resources for students in need is proving to be more difficult. 

“School districts are just going to have to get creative on how they allocate their resources and then what they prioritize,” Niehans said.

Fortunately, there are measures that one can take as an individual. Volunteering at local food banks and meal facilities, such as the resources previously mentioned, are one way to take action in this crisis. 

“Food, money, volunteering. Those are the three ways you can most benefit us,” Rasmussen said. “That means potentially hosting a food drive. You can do the same thing with a money drive, which allows us to go and buy things we traditionally don’t see in donations.”

Right now, thousands of residents in Winnebago County and surrounding areas are struggling with the constant burden of food insecurity, and rates thereof don’t appear to be dropping anytime soon as the winter months roll in. However, the community has the ability to combat this issue through volunteer work, donations of money and food, and magnanimity for their fellow man this holiday season and beyond. Rasmussen shared the numerous ways one, or a community, can aid through volunteer work at the OACP. 

“ Ages14 through 18, you can come on your own to volunteer. All they have to do is go to our website, oacptoday.org. There is a volunteer section that’s right on our website where they can fill out the application,” he said. “The other thing that is pretty popular is scheduling yourselves as a group. If you’ve got a class that all wants to come together, or if you’re in a club or sport, the entire group could come, and then I’d reach out to us at that point.” 

by Phoebe Fletcher

Published on November 27, 2023

Oshkosh West Index vol 120 issue III